Springfield neighborhood still reels a year after deadly tornado

Lower-income areas lack the resources to rebuild from the most destructive tornado to hit New England in 60 years.

Flashbacks and fears a year after the western Massachusetts tornado

Children of all ages from Monson, Brimfield, Springfield and West Springfield still fear a recurrence of the worst storm of their young lives.

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Tracking the recovery

A year after the storm, low-income neighborhoods are recovering more slowly than affluent ones.

Family touched by Massachusetts tornado tragedy uses faith to carry on

Angelica Guerrero has received three posthumous awards for her heroism during a tornado that took her life and seriously injured her younger daughter and husband.

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//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/05/24/BostonGlobe.com/National/Images/01tornpictwo.jpg A recovery delayed in Springfield

A year after the deadly tornadoes, the poorest neighborhoods in this struggling city are still affected.

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//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/05/31/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/tornadographic_150.pg--90x90.jpg After the storm

Student journalists from UMass chronicle the recovery of Western Mass. after the June, 2011, tornadoes.

Jackie Ladew hugged her 2-year-old daughter, Katie, in front of their Monson home on June 2, 2011, the day after a tornado hit.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Jackie Ladew hugged her 2-year-old daughter, Katie, in front of their Monson home on June 2, 2011, the day after a tornado hit.

Clouds filled the sky during the storm that spawned a destructive tornado in Springfield.

File Photo

Clouds filled the sky during the storm that spawned a destructive tornado in Springfield.

A tornado struck parts of Springfield on June 1, 2011.

Marque Tortoriello

A tornado struck parts of Springfield on June 1, 2011.

The destruction in downtown Springfield two days after the tornado.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The destruction in downtown Springfield two days after the tornado.

Main Street in Springfield was closed the day after the tornado.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Main Street in Springfield was closed the day after the tornado.

An aerial photo showed the destruction in Monson the day after the tornado.

David L. Ryan /Globe Staff

An aerial photo showed the destruction in Monson the day after the tornado.

On Hubbard Ave. in Springfield, a building was heavily damaged.

Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

On Hubbard Avenue in Springfield, a building was heavily damaged.

Deborah Alexander and her son, Eugene Alexander Malone, went into her bedroom to collect a bible and photo albums.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Deborah Alexander and her son, Eugene Alexander Malone, went into her bedroom to collect a bible and photo albums.

Shelly Ann Sankar and her husband, James Channing, sat in front of what used to be the front door of their Springfield home.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Shelly Ann Sankar and her husband, James Channing, sat in front of what used to be the front door of their Springfield home.

Deborah Alezandar (left) and her daughter-in-law, Valerie, went through belongings on the second floor of their home in Springfield.

John Tlumacki/Globe staff

Deborah Alezandar (left) and her daughter-in-law, Valerie, went through belongings on the second floor of their home in Springfield.

A homeowner in Monson threw down belongings from the shell of a home destroyed by a tornado.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

A homeowner in Monson threw down belongings from the shell of a home destroyed by a tornado.

A view of tornado destruction in Brimfield.

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

A view of tornado destruction in Brimfield.

Feb. 19, 2012

Tornado victims still struggling in Monson

Last June’s freak tornado thundered through the tiny town in a matter of seconds. Eight months later, getting back to normal still seems a dream.

Taking to the air for the first time, National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed that three separate tornadoes struck Massachusetts.

June 4, 2011

A huge task of recovery along a path of ruin, loss

Taking to the air for the first time, National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed that three separate tornadoes struck Massachusetts.

Jose Quinones, whose home was destroyed by Wednesday’s tornado, fed his 1-month-old son, Joseah, yesterday at a Springfield shelter.

June 4, 2011

80 miles from tornado’s impact, a haunting paper trail

The records and trappings of everyday life were borne toward the east at heights that could have approached 50,000 feet.

Residential blocks were flattened in Monson, one of 19 communities struck by tornadoes late Wednesday. Officials reduced the death toll from four to three.

June 3, 2011

Victims lament tornadoes’ huge toll on property

The violent storm spawned three tornadoes that destroyed nearly 200 buildings in West Springfield, Monson, and Springfield, and many other buildings across the region.

Iris Feliciano covered her face after viewing storm damage in the area of West Springfield where she lives.

June 3, 2011

With storm raging, a mother makes the ultimate sacrifice

As the killer storm bore down outside, Angelica Guerrero rushed her 15-year-old daughter to the bathroom and pressed the girl into the shelter of their bathtub.

The damage on Steiger Drive in Westfield from the tornado.

June 2, 2011

Neighbors recall harrowing ordeal

Over three hours Wednesday afternoon and evening, tornados cut a fierce path through Springfield, Monson, Brimfield, and Sturbridge.

June 2, 2011

Tornadoes kill four; emergency is declared

Deadly tornadoes tore through Western and Central Massachusetts, injuring an untold number and reducing schools, churches, and homes to splinters along its destructive path.